Phase 1: The Tool Landscape · 30 min · Cursor · Claude Code · GitHub Copilot

Setting Up a Terminal or IDE Agent

More power, more setup, more responsibility. This is the category for when you need file-level control.

Hiring signal: What changes when you use this: you can work with existing codebases and make targeted multi-file changes — which means you can maintain and extend projects, not just generate them from scratch.

What you will learn

Install and set up an IDE-native or terminal agent tool
Open a project folder and give your first command
Review file changes and diffs
Understand the power and responsibility of local tools

Your Mission

Install a terminal or IDE agent, create a project, give your first command, and review the changes using the diff view. Output: terminal_build.md.

You need: Cursor or Claude Code (pick one based on comfort).

Time: 30-45 minutes.

Step 1: Choose Your Tool (2 min)

Cursor (cursor.com) — IDE-native, fork of VS Code with AI built in. If you prefer GUIs, pick this.
Claude Code — terminal agent by Anthropic. If you're okay with terminal, pick this.

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers Step 2: Install and Set Up (10 min), Tool Installed, Step 3: Give Your First Command (5 min), First Command, Step 4: Review the Changes (10 min), Change Review, Step 5: Give a Correction (10 min), Correction Given, Result, Step 6: Set Up Your Safety Net (3 min), Git Safety Net, You're Done — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

Create a free account to unlock Phase 0 and Phase 1 of every course — no credit card.

Key terms in this lesson

Agent